IT contractors specialising in search engine optimisation really need to embrace the power of social media, it has been claimed.

Social networking sites like Twitter and Facebook have become a revolution in the world of advertising because they magnify the most important marketing tool of all - word of mouth.

This is according to Gordon Borrell, chief executive officer at research and consulting firm Borrell Associates, who claims that the immediacy of social networking makes it a very powerful tool.

"The biggest opportunity of all, I believe, is the disintermediation of the small gaggle of people, who could make or break a business by talking to others," he said.

Mr Borell's comments follow the publication of a survey by Pivot, which indicted that two-thirds of brand marketers have already implemented social media campaigns.

Of those, 87 per cent plan to spend further on the medium during the next 12 months.